Tissue containing box holder

ABSTRACT

A tissue containing box holder that includes first and second parallel, spaced, cross pieces that are connected by a backing plate, and fastening means for securing the plate to a vertical wall surface. The first cross piece supports at least one downwardly projecting prong that has the free end extremity thereof spaced from a longitudinally extending apex on the second cross piece a distance less than the width of a conventional tissue holding cardboard box such as in which Kleenex is retailed. The edge portions of such a box are rigid and the walls extending between the edges are resilient. When a Kleenex box has a first side wall placed in pressure contact with the prongs and a second side wall in contact with the apex, the side walls are bowed inwardly towards one another, and any force exerted on the box in removing the tissue therefrom tends to pivot the box towards the prongs to increase the pressure engagement therewith, and prevent the box from being inadvertently displaced from the holder.

United States Patent 1 Simon ..248/3l3 Primary Examiner-J. Franklin Foss Attorney William C. Babcock Rabner 1451 May 15, 1973 [54] TISSUE CONTAINING BOX HOLDER [57] ABSTRACT lnvemorl Walter 13861 Fresh A tissue containing box holder that includes first and P 3681 Beach, second parallel, spaced, cross pieces that are confi 90740 nected by a backing plate, and fastening means for [22] Filed: JUL 11, 1971 securing the plate to a vertical wall surface. The first 1 cross piece supports at least one downwardly pro ect- [2l] App No: 105,358 ing prong that has the free end extremity thereof spaced from a longitudinally extending apex on ,the 52 us. Cl ..248/313, 221 /45, 248/205 A Sewn! E Piece a f than the width 51 int. Cl. ..A26c 33 00 "W P' ca'dbwd such as [58] Field of Search ..248/311, 313, 20s A, wh'ch Kleenex walled- 46 The edge portions of such a box are rigid and the walls extending between the edges are resilient. When a r Remelwes Cited Kleenex box has a first side wall placed in pressure contact with the prongs and a second side wall in con- UNITED STATES PATENTS tact with the apex, the side walls are bowed inwardly 2,155,760 4/1939 Hy.... ..248/3H towards one another, and any force exerted on the 2,958,496 11/1960 Johnson." --2 3/3 3 X box in removing the tissue therefrom tends to pivot 2,287,531 42 UX the box towards the prongs to increase the pressure 3,285,559 11/1966 engagement therewith, and prevent the box from being inadvertently displaced from the holder.

1 Claim, 7 Drawing Figures TISSUE CONTAINING BOX HOLDER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention A tissue containing box holder.

2. Description of the Prior Art For a number of years folded interlocking tissues have been dispensed in rectangular cardboard boxes, with one side wall of the box having a slit formed therein through which the tissues may be sequentially withdrawn. The edge portions of such a box are rigid, but the walls extending between the edges being resilient. Such boxes are normally formed from a thin, relatively tough cardboard or fibrous material.

Inasmuch as the tissues are folded in the above described box in interlocking relationship for convenience, when one tissue is withdrawn from the box the edge portion of another is extended through the opening in a position where it may be grasped when needed. It is desirable that the box be mounted in a room in an easily accessible position, preferably on a vertical wall or the like.

Various holders and brackets have been proposed and used in the past to a limited extent to so mount a tissue containing box, but such prior art devices have had the operational disadvantages that they are of an unduly complicated structure, relatively expensive, and require a substantial amount of time and effort to place a tissue holding box in a position therein.

The primary purpose in devising the present invention is to provide 8 holder for a tissue containing box that has an extremely simple mechanical structure, is easily secured to a flat wall surface without the use of tools, and may have a tissue containing box mounted therein by a simple inward and upward movement of the box relative to the holder.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A holder for a tissue containing box that includes first and second parallel spaced cross pieces that are connected by a backing plate, which plate may be removably secured to a vertical wall surface. The first cross piece supports at least one downwardly extending prong having a lower sharpened end portion and the second cross piece defines a longitudinally extending upwardly projecting apex. The distance between the lower extremity of the prong and the apex is slightly less than the width of the tissue holding box that is to be used with the holder.

' The tissue holding box is mounted in the holder by having a rearward side edge portion of the box placed in sliding pivotal contact with the forward face of the plate. A lower longitudinal edge of the box slidably engages a tapered face on the second cross piece, and as a lower edge of the box is slid upwardly over this tapered face the rearward longitudinal edge of the box is moved into abutting contact with the plate.

The first and second side walls of the container holding box are now in pressure contact with the lower extremity of the prong and the longitudinally extending contact with the pointed extremity of the prong. As a result of this increased pressure contact with the prongs, the box will not be inadvertently displaced from the holder. When it is desired to remove the box from the holder, the box is simply raised upwardly relative to the second cross piece and pivoted outwardly, with the box then being moved downwardly to disengage it from the pointed end portions of the prongs.

A major object of the present invention is to provide a holder for a tissue containing box, which holder has no moving parts, and is easily attached to a vertical wall surface without the use of tools.

Another object of the invention is to supply a holder for a tissue containing box in which it is removably mounted by an upward and inward pivotal movement of the box relative to the holder.

Still another object of the invention is to supply a holder for a tissue containing box in which one or more prongs on a first cross piece thereof cooperate with a longitudinal upwardly extending apex on a second cross piece of the device to removably interlock a tissue containing box therebetween.

A still further object of the invention is to supply a holder for a tissue containing box that has an extremely simple mechanical structure, may be fabricated from standard commercially available material, is inexpensive to produce, and requires no maintenance attention inasmuch as the holder is freeof moving parts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a holder for a tissue containing box, with the holder mounted on a vertical wall surface; FIG. 2 is the same view as shown in FIG. 1, but with a tissue containing box being removably mounted in the holder;

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of the holder, with a tissue containing box formed from a fibrous sheet material being placed in initial engagement with the holder;

FIG. 4 is an end elevational view of the holder, with the tissue containing box being disposed in an intermediate position prior to being removably gripped by the holder;

FIG. 5 is an end elevational view of the holder with a tissue containing box removably gripped thereby;

FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of the holder; and

FIG. 7 is a rear elevational view of the holder.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In FIG. 1 a holder A is shown for a tissue containing box B, which holder is removably secured to a vertical wall surface C. The holder A as best seen in FIGS. 3 to 7 inclusive includes a rectangular sheet D of a rigid material such as cardboard or the like that has first and second parallel spaced cross pieces E and F supported therefrom. The first cross piece E has a transverse cross section that is illustrated as being in the form of a quadrant of a circle, and the cross piece E having a lower flat surface 10. A number of longitudinally spaced prongs 12 are partially embedded in the cross piece E and have lower pointed ends 14.

The second cross piece F has two angularly positioned, longitudinally extending surfaces 14 and 16 that extend upwardly as may be seen in FIGS. 3 to 5 inclusive, and intersect to define a longitudinally extending apex 18. The box B is of the conventional present day structure in which folded interlocking tissues (not shown) are retailed. The box includes first and second side walls and 22, end walls 24, a rear wall 26, and front wall 28. The box Bis formed from a fibrous sheet material such as thin cardboard or the like.

The longitudinal edges of the box B are relatively rigid, but the sidewalls 20 and 22 are somewhat resilient and deformable when pressure is applied thereto. The front wall 28 has a longitudinally extending opening 32 therein through which the folded tissue (not shown) may be sequentially withdrawn as required.

When it is desired to mount the box B in the holder A, the holder A is first affixed to the wall surface as shown in FIG. 1, by the use of a number of pressure sensitive adhesive areas G that are provided on the back of the sheet D. Two of the pressure sensitive adhesive areas G are located adjacent the first cross piece E and the third area G in the center of the sheet D near the second cross piece F. When the holder A is mounted on the wall C as shown in FIG. 3, the edge a is brought into sliding contact with the forward surface of the sheet D, and an upward and inward pivotal force is thereafter exerted on the box to deform at least a part of the side wall 20 inwardly as shown in FIG. 4 due to contact with the prongs 12.

As the box B is pivoted inwardly the edge 30b slides upwardly and inwardly on the surface 16 and ultimately over the apex 18 to assume a position in which the back wall 26 is in abutting contact with the forward face of the sheet D. The prongs 12 and the apex 18 are now in pressure contact with the side walls 20 and 22 and deform rearward portions thereof inwardly towards one another as shown in FIG. 5.

When a sheet of tissue is withdrawn from the opening 32 after the box B has been mounted on the holder A .as shown in FIG. 5, the force exerted on the box is such as to tend to pivot it on the apex 18 away from the sheet D. However, any such pivotal movement simply increases the force that the prong l2 exerts on the side wall 20 and the possibility of the box being inadvertently displaced from the holder due to the dispensing of tissues (not shown) therefrom is eliminated. It will be particularly noted that box B is securely gripped in the holder A, even when the prongs 12 do not penetrate the side wall 20.

When it is desired to remove the box B from the holder A, an outwardly directed force is exerted on the box to lift the edge 30b over the apex 18, with the box thereafter being moved downwardly and outwardly to disengage the prongs 12 from the side wall 20. After the tissue (not shown) in box B has been dispensed therefrom, the box is removed from the holder as above described, and a new box B of tissue placed therein. Although the holder A is shown as mounted on the wall C by use of the pressure sensitive adhesive areas G, other fastening means may be employed if desired. The holder A may be manufactured from a separate sheet D and separate cross pieces E and F, of if desired the unit may be molded as an integral unit from a suitable resin by conventional molding techniques.

The prongs 12 can be formed from any suitable rigid material that possesses sufficient strength to engage the box B as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 inclusive. Should it be desired, decorative material such as colored beads I-I may be applied to the curved exterior surface of the first cross piece E as illustrated in FIG. 6. It will be particularly noted that the width of the holder A may be substantially less than the length of the tissue holding box B that it supports from a wall surface C.

I claim:

1. A holder for removably supporting a rectangular, folded tissue containing box from a desired wall surface, which holder is of a type that includes first and second parallel, spaced cross pieces of uniform transverse cross section, first means for rigidly holding said cross pieces in spaced relationship, second means for securing said first means and cross pieces to said wall, said box of the type that has rigid edge surfaces and a resilient back wall and front wall, a pair of end walls, and first and second side walls, with said front wall having a longitudinal split therein through which tissue may be removed when said tissue is moved towards said second side wall, said holder being characterized by including:

a. a downwardly extending sharpened member on the side of said first cross piece most adjacent said second cross piece for frictionaliy engaging a portion of said first side wall and deforming the same inwardly towards said second wall when said sharpened member is subjected to pressure when said box is moved upwardly towards said sharpened member;

b. two angularly positioned, longitudinally extending surfaces defined on the portion of said second cross piece most adjacent said first cross piece, which surfaces intersect to define an apex that is spaced from said sharpened member less than the width of said box, with said box being removably gripped between said sharpened member and said apex when said first side wall of said box is placed in contact with said sharpened member and said box is pivoted towards said second means to move upwardly towards said sharpened member, which pivoting causes said sharpened member and apex to pressure contact portions of said first and second side walls to deform the latter towards one another to permit said box to be removably held between said first and second cross pieces, and with said box not being displaced from engagement with said holder when tissues are removed therefrom due to the force exerted by the tissues so removed being in a direction to cause said sharpened member to frictionally grip said first side wall with a greater force, with said second cross piece serving the dual function of moving said box upwardly towards said sharpened member as said pivoting takes place, and supporting the lower portion of said box after said pivoting is completed. 

1. A holder for removably supporting a rectangular, folded tissue containing box from a desired wall surface, which holder is of a type that includes first and second parallel, spaced cross pieces of uniform transverse cross section, first means For rigidly holding said cross pieces in spaced relationship, second means for securing said first means and cross pieces to said wall, said box of the type that has rigid edge surfaces and a resilient back wall and front wall, a pair of end walls, and first and second side walls, with said front wall having a longitudinal split therein through which tissue may be removed when said tissue is moved towards said second side wall, said holder being characterized by including: a. a downwardly extending sharpened member on the side of said first cross piece most adjacent said second cross piece for frictionally engaging a portion of said first side wall and deforming the same inwardly towards said second wall when said sharpened member is subjected to pressure when said box is moved upwardly towards said sharpened member; b. two angularly positioned, longitudinally extending surfaces defined on the portion of said second cross piece most adjacent said first cross piece, which surfaces intersect to define an apex that is spaced from said sharpened member less than the width of said box, with said box being removably gripped between said sharpened member and said apex when said first side wall of said box is placed in contact with said sharpened member and said box is pivoted towards said second means to move upwardly towards said sharpened member, which pivoting causes said sharpened member and apex to pressure contact portions of said first and second side walls to deform the latter towards one another to permit said box to be removably held between said first and second cross pieces, and with said box not being displaced from engagement with said holder when tissues are removed therefrom due to the force exerted by the tissues so removed being in a direction to cause said sharpened member to frictionally grip said first side wall with a greater force, with said second cross piece serving the dual function of moving said box upwardly towards said sharpened member as said pivoting takes place, and supporting the lower portion of said box after said pivoting is completed. 